Subject: More analogs to learning objects
From: Frank Lowney (flowney@mail.gcsu.edu)
Date: Mon 21 Feb 2000 - 18:26:31 MET
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 12:26:31 -0500 From: Frank Lowney <flowney@mail.gcsu.edu> Subject: More analogs to learning objects
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There was a peak of interest not long ago in "re-purposing" extant
media (CDs, laser disks, etc.) that may serve as a useful analog in
our discussions here. I believe that this interest continues among
media professionals but is now so well understood, at least
technically, that it doesn't get much press anymore. Nonetheless ,
there is now a thriving industry providing us with "royalty-free"
still images, movie clips, sounds, clip-art, patterns, etc.
I therefore suspect that the concept of re-purposing extant media
might offer us some empirical data on what can be reused, how reusing
is done, and how well we might expect the resulting products to
perform. The relationship between reusable media and the class of
things we are calling learning objects is probably a difference of
degree rather than a difference of kind.
If this analogy holds, it would seem that very few LOs would be used
(or re-used) in their original form. Rather, LOs would be massaged
in at least as many ways as a still image can be massaged in the
hands of a skilled user of Photoshop. Indeed, we may find that as
the complexity of our purposes increases so too does the degree to
which we feel the need to revise those LOs.
We seem to have little difficulty re-purposing words. Paraphrasing,
summarizing and synthesizing learning objects that are made up almost
exclusively of words present no real barrier to us. How many
excellent ways have we seen key concepts in our respective
disciplines explained? So, why should that change when the medium
has additional elements such as interactivity, animation and imagery?
=====================================================================
Dr. Frank Lowney flowney@mail.gcsu.edu
Director, Electronic Instructional Services, a unit of the
Office of Information and Instructional Technology,
CBX 034, Georgia College & State University
Milledgeville, GA 31061-0490
Voice: (912) 445-5260 Primary Web Sites:
GC EduNET (K-12) System: http://www.gcedunet.peachnet.edu
GC&SU's Official Site: http://www.gcsu.edu
Personal Pages: http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~flowney
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